Berlin Biomass Project - Half Way

[peakbagger]

Saw this in a couple of papers today.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/ne...ant-its-way/2X0knpre0mOYCyYhRcoDqJ/story.html

For those who havent been by the site, its getting pretty impressive. Lots of large equipment in place and a large new building and cranes everywhere with a whole pile of blasted granite piled up north of the site.

 

[wisher]

I drove by there the other day; it is pretty impressive. I'm wondering though, whether it's going to make Berlin smelly again. It's good for the environment and community, I'm just hoping they don't end up burning a bunch of foul smelling trash. Or noisy with steam venting late at night. Only time will tell.

 

[Tom_Murphy]

I'm wondering though, whether it's going to make Berlin smelly again.

The guys at the papermill used to call that "the smell of money". It comes from the kraft pulping process which produces gaseous sulfur compounds. Many plants have been forced to add equipment to collect and burn the gases in the chemical recovery boiler.

I wouldn't expect anything similar in a boiler buring biomass [wood].

 

[peakbagger]

I work with large biomass plants for part of my living and spent several years reducing the odor of the Berlin pulpmill previously. There will be no sulfur odor and with the amount of air emmision control equipment they are required to put on, its going to be very clear source of combustion. The permits for the facility are for low grade forest resdiduals, they are not permitted for trash or any other waste products, they would have to repermit the facility to burn anything else. The wood they burn has to be certified as sustainably harvested so they cant just buy wood from a clear cut , there has to be a chain of custody going all the way back to the woods.

The biggest local impact may be fugitive dust from the chip piles and the traffic associated with bringing in 1600 tons per day of wood (thats a very rough swag on volume). Regionally the impact will be more thinning cuts and "prescriptive foresty" now that there will be steady market for low grade wood. Unfortunately Dillon left a lot of trashed woods in the region and when they regenerate, there will have to be several intermediate thinnings to get the woods back quickly. Mother nature can eventually do it, but it takes a lot longer.

I dont have any involvement with the current project but compared to a vacant lot or an abandoned mill complex like Millinocket still is, the Berlin project sire looks a lot better.

 

[wisher]

That's so true about Dillon. It was really disappointing seeing what he's done to the Mahoosuc range area and the upkeep on Success Pond road. The lower part of some of the trails in that area are a mess of clear cuts, logging roads and the main road isn't much better. I'm glad to hear they've been responsible with how they've permitted this from your post. Good to see some life being breathed back into the local economy.

 

[Chip]

There will be no sulfur odor and with the amount of air emmision control equipment they are required to put on, its going to be very clear source of combustion.

They need to retro-fit Rainier and parts of Yellowstone with some of that gear.

You mentioned previously this might mean the demise of the Bethlehem and Whitefield plants. Was that this project ? Net Net on employment ?